The Father and the Fish
Once, I hungered for the fishes, and as I went up to them, and was taking one down to be eaten, he said, ” My dear fish, do you remember what a big man you used to be?” And they all cried out together and then the whole fish turned into a large man.
So my brother came and found me lying on the ground dead; and as he approached me he saw a huge fish come out of the water, and he stood still and waited till it got near enough to bite me.
But it never did bite me. Then they buried me and I had a son. But my father would not tell us who his son was. So I came to a good man called Jaffery, who told me that my son had been a fisher man, and that he had been found dead in the river and buried under the ice.
I told Jaffery all about it and asked him why he had never mentioned my name to any one before. ” It ‘s because you killed me,” he said.
“And what was that you did to my brother?”
I asked him, ” Did you know him or not?”
“No. I knew him, but I never thought of killing him. I only killed my fish. He was a good fish, but he was too big.” So he put a spear in my hand and told me to go to my brother and take the fish and kill him.
But he did not take the fish from me. Then Jaffery took out my brother and he went away with him, and I took the fish from Jaffery ‘s hand. I got my brother’s meat and my father’s, but my father did not tell us who my father was.
So I came to a good man named Hylas, and told him all about it, and asked him who my father was.” I do not know,” he said.” The fish did not tell me.”
So I asked him again, and he said, “The fish told me all about it.” So I went up to the mountain, and sat there on the top of the rock until a light came down from the sky. Then I got down from there and started looking for the fish again. When I found it again I put it back in my hand, and went on looking for my father.
I could not find him. I thought of all the things that might have happened, and then I fell down and slept. When I awoke the next morning I found myself with two men. They told me what had happened to my father, and told me who his father was.
I looked up and saw that the fish was sitting on the rock above my head. Then the two men began to beat the fish, and they threw it down and trampled it till it died. Then they took the fish and brought it back to me.
I had not had my breakfast yet when I heard the sounds of a voice saying, ” Come and see the fish. ” So I ran up and saw it lying on the rock. It had not died. I said to the two men, ” Why are you beating the fish? “They replied, ” You have already killed it, and now the others are coming to take it.”
Then I was taken to the palace and examined by a doctor who told me that my father had died in my arms. He also informed me that his bones had been placed in the rock, and that the dead fish had given a new life to my father. I then sent for the king, and he said, ” Your father will come in a few days, and we will bury him in our city. Now go, I pray for you. “
When I was about to go I saw a man, and he asked me if I wanted a bath. I told him that my father would come in a few days and take the fish out of the rock, and put it into the bath. He took me to the river where we had built our bath, and there I bathed myself and washed away the blood and tears from my face.
I took the fish out of the rock and gave it to the man who had taken me to the river. He gave me some bread and some butter, and I ate it. Afterward, the other fish came to eat the fish which I had given to him. When they were done eating it, they took out a small stone and threw it into the water.
It came up on the surface and became quite big, as one might expect from a stone from the earth. The people in the village came and saw the stone. One said to the other, ” What have you done to this stone? “The other replied, ” It has not become big enough yet for our use. “
Then they put the stone into the bath and took their bath.
When the man who had taken me to the river came in the evening, I had bathed and washed away the blood and tears from my face, and my father was taking out the fish from the rock. He took me to the river where the fish were and put me into the bath with him.
The water became very hot, and I could not stand. I looked at the face of the man and said, ” Father, why did you take me to the river? ” He answered, ” Do not ask me so, I have done my work for you, and you know not how many waters have been filled up by my hand. The fishes are like the clouds; you shall see them and know them. “
Then he went out into the water and the fish came and ate him up.